Kanye West Late Registration Roc-A-Fella By: Eric Greenwood Kanye West's rise to utter ubiquity has not been without skill. He's a polarizing figure whose mouth may know no bounds (“George Bush doesn't care about black people”), but he's clearly a talented pop writer, despite his MC skills being a tad sluggish. Late Registration, his follow […]

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Iron In The Reins Overcoat By: Eric Greenwood Columbia, South Carolina native Sammy Beam's Iron and Wine hooks up with Tucson, Arizona's Calexico to blend Beam's soft, dreamy narrative with the latter band's obsession with Southwestern nuance and Ennio Morricone on In the Reins. The result is gorgeous, lush, and surprisingly optimistic, where it easily […]

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Sigur Ros Taak Geffen By: Eric Greenwood Three years after its sepulchral () album, Sigur Ros returns with its best impression of what this Icelandic quartet deems upbeat. Takk is sharper and more direct than anything the band has previously churned out, but that is not to say it's by any means accessible by normal […]

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Ryan Adams Jacksonville City Nights Lost Highway By: Eric Greenwood A dilettante to some, a spoiled shit to others, and a poseur to most, Ryan Adams makes up for his bratty self-indulgence with convincing immersion into his carefully calculated roles. He's back to country crooner this year. Lick finger, hold it up to wind…yep, country […]

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Depeche Mode Playing The Angel Mute By: Eric Greenwood Depeche Mode was my gateway band into better music when I was a kid, so I feel like I owe a lot to them. I may be a loyal fan, but I'm not deluded. And I'm not going to look at you straight-faced and tell you […]

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Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better Domino By: Eric Greenwood I've been listening to the new Franz Ferdinand trying to figure out why I don't like it as much as the band's stylish debut. It has the same jaunty, angular post-punk guitar jabs, the same bouncy, half-disco beats, and even breathier, more […]

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Run-D.M.C. Run-D.M.C. King Of Rock Raising Hell Tougher Than Leather Profile By: Eric Greenwood Barring nostalgia and sentimentality, listening to Run-D.M.C. in 2005 is kind of difficult. It sounds so basic and primitive compared to how far hip-hop has come in more than two decades. It’s not too far removed from going back and listening […]

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